Two weeks after deciding to temporarily pause a widely unpopular price increase on annual memberships to the zoo and aquarium, the Audubon Nature Institute will go back to its old prices — for now — while it continues to study new membership levels and pricing.
Beginning March 1, new prices and membership levels, that could include a zoo-only membership option, will be offered for sale, Audubon President and CEO Michael Sawaya said in an interview Wednesday.
The move comes after Audubon officials convened a focus group to study the issue in the wake of the recent price hike controversy. The takeaway, Sawaya said, is that the increases introduced in late November were too steep and that locals want a zoo-only membership level, an option that hasn’t been available since the 1990s.
“We didn’t just arbitrarily increase prices. We studied it and did a lot of due diligence,” Sawaya said. “But we put it out there and got feedback and now we are revisiting it. That is what most good businesses do.”
Ahead of Black Friday holiday sales, Audubon upped the price for its annual memberships, which offer deep discounts off the admission price to the zoo and aquarium. Those who went online to renew their memberships, or buy new ones during the holiday weekend sale, found the price of an annual membership for a family of four had nearly doubled from $220 to $425…